An Account of Darrin's Sorting
by Noctem
Summary: Back Story to The False Mage: read, review, and get hooked on the story!
1. Default Chapter

An account of Darrin's sorting

**Chapter1**

**Why am I here?**

Darrin stood in the dilapidated hall, quite unsure what to do with himself.  He was not alone in this predicament either.  12 other boys his age milled nervously around the room.

            Truth to be told his head was still spinning from the fact that he had been admitted to Jersey Devil Academy, let alone the ritual sorting test he knew was before him.

            A week earlier he would not have believed it possible to be admitted, as he was a squib.  However his possessing poltergeist had informed that he could help the situation, lending him the ability to perform magic well enough to get into JDA.

            So he had attempted his entrance test, and to everyone's surprise was admitted without hitch (other than previously never using magic)

            Now he stood with his fellow first year students before the great seal on the floor of the old hall. The oldest building on campus he had been told.

            A voice rang over his anxiety.

            "Please line up behind me"

            The students quickly did as instructed, lining up behind the speaker. They each looked nervously at the seal on the floor, nobody had told them what was supposed to happen here….

            "You, step onto the seal."

            Ordered the hooded instructor; pointing at a small shaky boy standing by Darrin.

            "Yes s-s-sir" squeaked Terth.

            He stepped forward onto the seal as it might give way beneath him.

            For a moment nothing happened. Then slowly light spread around the inner circle of the design, glowing in deep colors as if the solid marble was suddenly staind glass. As the light grew each of the 3 points on the outer circle gave a slight glow.  Darrin now saw that there had been a fourth point of a star on the outer ring, but it looked scorched and was apparently broken because it did not give of a glow as the others had done.

            The entire emblem (save the fourth point) glowed brilliantly and then all the light died away from the emblem.

            A silvery veil now descended around Terth, obstructing their view of him.

            "What's happening to him?" Darrin blurted before he thought not to speak.

            "He is being tested." The instructor said calmly.

            From inside the veil drifted a strange noise, resemblant of someone yelling, accompanied by whimpering and then more yelling.

            Several minutes passed as the noise grew.

            "NEVER!" screamed the boy from inside the veil. He voice strangely contorted.

            The veil lifted shimmering out of existence. Terth was on all fours sweating profusely and panting.

            As he caught his breath the point outside the circle with a runic W upon it glowed again.

            "Weirden ward." Announced the instructor. "Out that door, left, your new ward head will guide you to your room."

            Terth got to his feet and slowly walked out of the old hall.

            On the advice of Clanker, Darrin had moved to the back of the line. Thinking hurriedly about what he could possibly do to pass, or merely survive this test.

            He watched in trepidation as 11 others stepped onto the seal.

            Some screamed incoherently, others walked away seemingly unscathed… What was going on?

            Darrin was next. He felt his stomach lurch as the boy before him tottered a short distance before vomiting on the stone floor.

            "Avalus ward" announced the hooded figure. "out the door and to the right…. Evanesco" he added tonelessly waving his wand. "next"

            Darrin stepped forward and tripped, at least no one would hear him if he screamed.

            He stood on the emblem, watching the ground beneath him glow in terrified anticipation. The silver veil descended around him- he saw it solidify slightly before an image materialized on its surface.  Then he was no longer standing on the seal but part of the image standing in its perfectly rendered scene.  There was no sky, no ground, but he was not alone either. There were three, no, 4 figures standing around him. Each had the face of someone he knew, except the fourth who seemed to be fading in and out of the world randomly.

            "I am your enemy" spoke one figure.

            "I am your friend" came another.

            "I am you" said the third matter-of-factly.

            "….am your…  terror…" scratched the fourth figure, apparently having trouble speaking.

            "Challenge one of us to find your place" said friend and enemy.

            Darrin's mind raced, "challenge?" he thought panic stricken.  

            "Clanker help!" he thought desperately. 

            However Clanker was either not helping or had been silenced by this spell.

            "Choose NOW!" his mirror image roared at him.

            "Now…" scathed the fourth figure as the floor shook ever so slightly.

            "Fine" Darrin said pulling courage from somewhere in his soul he had not been forced to tread before.

            He looked around at his prospects; for a moment he eyes settled upon the figure that seemed to be only half there, as if some sort or shadow. "You" he said finally turning to face himself. 

            The figures representing enemy and friend vanished immediately.

            "So be it" His mirror image said, stepping forth and raising a wand.

            Darrin's panic was reaching a fever pitch, he had been told to leave his wand in his trunk! He was unable to defend himself! As he struggled with this impossibility he noticed that the figure which undoubtedly represented his fears had not vanished but rather was advancing on his likeness.

            His likeness turned from him to face the other… Darrin was sure something was going terribly wrong here

            "mine… is mine….. this one" scratched the figure with poor reception.

            "That is not how it is done." His double said tonelessly, as he aimed now for the figure representing terror.

            At this they began to duel each other as the floor heaved violently. Darrin fell to his knees, a spell shooting above his head, narrowly missing.

            As they fought the veil fractured, spinning away in silver fragments that sparked as they hit the stone floor of the old hall, as the image of the two dueling figures vanished into mist.

            The air cleared. The stone floor gave a mighty groan and another heave as not one but two emblems glowed from the floor.  The star point with the W and the shattered one had both emitted light.

            "….Please wait here" breathed the instructor, emotion creeping into his voice, as he turned and hurried out of the hall.

            "Not a problem" thought Darrin as he slumped further toward the ground.

            "Well, what happened? I couldn't see any of it!" asked Clanker from the back of his mind.


	2. The Ward that Never Was

**Chapter 2**

**The ward that never was**

            A few minutes passed and Darrin was thankful for a moment's peace to catch his breath.  Thinking an explanation of what happened to Clanker as he let the cool air of the room calm his nerves.

            The hooded instructor walked back in this time accompanied by a lady Darrin recognized as the Headmistress of the school.  She wasn't old but looked wizened nonetheless.  Unlike the monotone instructor she was not in a hood and full cloak.  She walked up to Darrin and scooped him to his feet quite easily for what her frame should've allowed.

            "Are you all right young man?" She asked plainly, releasing her grip.

            "I think so" managed Darrin "What happened in…."

            He trailed off as he noticed her attention wander from his well being to the seal on the floor which was still glowing in some places.  Even a faint flicker remained on the scorched and broken section.

            "Well, who did you challenge?" Headmistress Saowynn asked.

            "…myself" Darrin answered, more than a little confused about how she could've known.

            "Are you sure you didn't challenge terror young one?"

Darrin paused, he had thought to, though he couldn't say why.  However he was sure he had not given voice to this request.

            "Yes" He replied.

            "Very well then, Weirden ward for you, follow me." And she began toward the exit, Darrin struggling to keep up as if his legs were still under the belief that the floor was moving.

            "But ma'am" he stammered "Ethis Ward…"

            Saowynn turned sharply on her heel, with a look of shock on her face, quickly reining it in to determination.

            "Listen carefully young man, Ethis ward never existed, whatever you heard or saw in there is never to be discussed with anyone! Especially that name! Understand?"

            "Yes but…"

            Saowynn knelt down before Darrin to look him in the eye "Don't worry about what happened, it was outside of your doing and is certainly not your fault! Now come along you have unpacking to tend to before the welcome feast." She paused before standing back up to smile at him.

            Darrin was certainly still confused and at a loss for explanation but somehow he felt much better.  The thought of that smile seemed to warm him, almost as much as looking into the first pair of purple eyes he had ever seen.

A/N At the request of several readers I decided to fill in a little back story for Darrin's adventure in The False Mage.  What's that? You say purple is a strange color for eyes? Well don't worry its not going to come up again or anything… ;-)  F.Y.I. That's Chadwick losing his lunch. BWA HA HA!!!


End file.
